Rain Kisses
by NettieC
Summary: Fluffy JAG where the title says it all.


Disclaimer: They don't belong to me.

AN: Written for the February challenge on HBX - story had to be once scene and include the line 'and then he kissed her'. This was originally written and posted in two parts because it is two separate scenes but I've posted it in one piece here.

-  
Rain Kisses

Part 1

The rain was falling relentlessly as Harm stood and stared out of his office window. The howling wind was playing havoc with the trees and the dark, stormy clouds matched his mood. With nerves tensed and starting to fray, Harm watched for any sign Mac was returning to headquarters. It had been fifteen days since he had seen her, fifteen long days. Last Thursday week, she had been sent to California to follow up on a case at Camp Pendleton and was supposed to be home that Sunday.

Then they received the news that she had taken ill and been admitted to the Pendleton base hospital and her appendix had been removed and all Harm had wanted to do was clear his calendar and fly to her. Justice had other demands and Harm knew his first priority was to the Corporal he was defending.

In his stead, he arranged for his mother to visit her, which had seemed a good idea at the time. After all, Mac was far from home, far from her friends, and a friendly visitor would lift her spirits. The few times Harm had spoken to her or his mother things were great. The pair were getting along famously and it was clear they were spending plenty of time talking about him.

It was only after Mac was on the flight home that his mother displeasure at the situation became abundantly clear and not twenty minutes ago she had informed her son of that in no uncertain terms.  
"What is wrong with you, Harmon?" Trish had begun, foregoing the usual 'hello'  
"Mom?" he questioned, having been distracted when he answered.  
"Don't mom me," she said sternly. "I can't believe you. I am very disappointed."  
"What did I do?" Harm questioned, moving to close his office door.

The problem with speaking to someone who is very angry with you is that they aren't actually listening, and Trish was no exception. She was on a roll and all Harm could clearly make out was 'Sarah', 'you' and 'stupid' and equally clearly was the fact that it was he who was the stupid one.

When Trish paused, Harm wasn't sure if he should speak but after a slight pause, to see if his mother had actually finished, Harm cleared his throat and spoke.  
"Ah, mom, I can hear you are angry with me but..."  
And that's all it took for Trish to start once more.

This time Harm knew exactly what the problem was.  
"How can you treat Sarah this way?" Trish began. "She's such a beautiful person and you don't..."  
"Mom," he said in a warning tone.  
"Don't mom me," she said. "What's wrong with you? The way you talk about Sarah I can tell it's more than a professional relationship. The way she talks about you reinforces that, but you haven't done anything about it. You've known her nine years and you have never actually asked her on a date, have you?"

Harm shook his head before realising his mother couldn't see him.  
"Um, no," he said, dropping his head.  
"Why ever not?" she challenged. "Do you find her attractive?"  
"Yes, mom," he said, feeling much younger than his age.  
"Do you want something more?" she probed, exasperated at her only child.  
"Yes, mom, I do," he said. "But..."  
"But nothing," she interjected. "I am very disappointed that you can treat Sarah that way. I thought I raised you much better than this."

Before Harm could formulate a response, his mother had bid him a curt farewell and disconnected the call. Now, he found himself rehashing all she had said and as he did his mood deteriorated.

While she had, he conceded, made some relevant points, the fact was it took two to tango and, true, he had never actually asked her out on a proper date but then Mac had never asked him out either. Shaking his head at that thought, Harm wondered when he ever waited for a girl he really liked to ask him out. What was it about Sarah MacKenzie that put him off his game?

Then the truth hit him, with Sarah MacKenzie it wasn't a game. It was, without a doubt, the real thing and that scared him.

Yes, scared him.

Harm shook his head once more as he came to this startling realisation - he was a scaredy cat; scared of nothing but the one person who had complete and utter power over his happiness, his life and his destiny.

This brought him to his position in front of the window, staring into the car park for any sign Mac was back. He knew she was coming back to headquarters, not only was her car there and she needed it for the weekend but she had actually told him that that in their last phone call.

It was nearly an hour later before he saw what he was waiting for; a cab pulling into the parking bay outside the front doors. With eyes wide and fixed on the scene, his heart started pounding as he waited for a sign it was actually Mac. It soon came.

As the driver grabbed her bags from the trunk, Harm was struck with the thought that she may just collect her car and go. Cresswell wasn't expecting her to report in, and given her recent surgery, she wasn't expected back behind her desk for another week.

Bolting out of his office, Harm crossed the near deserted bullpen and opted for the stairs rather than the elevator. Taking the stairs three at a time, Harm soon arrived in the foyer before racing out into the rain, just in time to see Mac reach for her bags.  
"Let me," he said breathlessly scooping up her bags in one hand.  
"Harm?" she said, looking up at him.  
"Hi," he replied, not really knowing what else to say.  
"Are you okay?" she asked, noting his flushed face and unsettled demeanour.  
"Fine," he replied, "How are you feeling after your flight? It wasn't too much for you, was it?"  
Mac smiled at the level of his concern. "It was fine, Harm," she said. "After all, it was only my appendix. It wasn't as if I had a heart transplant."

Turning, Mac started walking across the car park and zapped her car as she approached. Opening the trunk, she waited for Harm to put her bags in before closing it soundly. All that was left for Harm to do was to stare at her. She was beautiful. Hell, she was the most gorgeous creature on the face of the planet.

The rain was dampening her hair and causing gentle trickles of crystal liquid to drip down her face. Reaching out, Harm used his fingers to brush off some of the drops. She was amazing.  
"Harm, you're worrying me," she said, rubbing his arm. "Are you sure you're okay?"

There was so much he wanted to say, so much to explain.

There were a thousand thoughts racing through his brain.

A thousand words desperate to get out, yet nothing was happening.

"Harm?" she questioned, her eyes locking onto his.  
In the end there was nothing left for him to do but act.

Ignoring the weather, ignoring the location, ignoring every thought that this was a crazy idea, Harm took both her hands in his. He took a deep breath, willed his heart not to give out, and then he kissed her.

Part 2

Stunned wasn't the word to describe Mac's reaction at the greeting she had just received. As Harm slowly pulled back, she gazed at him, took in his earnest expressing and his wet, soft lips.  
"Um...wow," she said breathlessly, ignoring the rain which was still falling and the chance that they could be seen. "That was ... um...unexpected."  
"Good unexpected or bad unexpected?" he asked, not quite able to read her expression.  
"Good, I think..." she said slowly, still trying to comprehend the situation in which she now found herself.  
"You think?" he questioned.  
"It was good," she said, taking the time to enunciate each word clearly.  
"But?" he offered, believing one was coming.  
Mac couldn't help but grin as her reply formed in her mind. "But I don't think it was long enough for me to properly gauge."  
"Do you have a suggestion as to how we could remedy that?" he asked, suddenly aware this could go into unchartered waters.  
"Do you?" she countered but a raised eyebrow from Harm told her he wasn't letting her off the hook. "I was thinking it's late and I'm exhausted," she began, watching as Harm scanned her face. "But I'm also hungry...maybe you could finish up here, grab some take out and come over."

While his body was registering all sorts of hormonal responses, Harm's brain kicked into gear and he realised that Mac was only a week out of surgery and that anything more than kissing was off the agenda. Surprising even himself, he sighed in relief. Yes, he wanted her, desperately, but he also wanted the courtship, not just hitting the sheets - he didn't think it would do justice to the 'them' he had always envisaged.

"I think that sounds great," he said, his smile widening. "It'll take me about ten minutes to square things away here and then I'll pick up dinner. Do you feel like anything in particular?"

Mac only had to smirk for Harm to know what she was thinking.  
"Double Supreme Cheeseburger, no onion, and extra sauce, with an extra large serve of curly fries," he said, reeling off her current Beltway Burger favourite. Mac grinned and nodded. "Chocolate thickshake?"  
"Of course," she said. "After all, I need to regain my strength."  
Harm laughed. "Of course you do," he replied, moving to open her car door for her. "I shouldn't be more than half an hour."  
"Good," she replied. "It will give me a chance to grab a shower and change."  
"Ooh, a pyjama party," he said with a chuckle.  
"Harm," she said as she slid into the car and buckled her belt. "You do realise the sooner you go the sooner you'll be at my place."

Quickly, Harm bent down, kissed her cheek before turning and trotting back to the building not wanting to waste another moment – nine years was absolutely, definitely long enough.

Forty five minutes later, Harm stood at her door, the Beltway Burger bag, and Sushi Sushi Sushi box in one hand, her thickshake in the other. It took three knocks, the last one much louder and more insistent before Mac opened the door.  
"Sorry," she said ushering him in. "I sat down to wait and fell asleep."  
"How are you feeling?" he said, placing dinner on the coffee table. "Really feeling?"  
Mac smiled and reconsidered her first thoughts. "I'm feeling a little sore and quite tired but the doctor said I'm doing well," she said honestly.  
"Well, come and sit and eat," he said, taking her hand and leading her to the sofa. "And then you can go to bed."

Dinner was accompanied by friendly chatter and the soft jazz playing in the background and when Mac had finally finished her huge meal, Harm made her stay in place as he cleared everything away.  
"You're exhausted, Mac," he said, standing by the edge of the sofa. "I should get going."  
Mac shook her head. "No, not yet," she said, patting the seat beside her.

Harm slipped into the space beside her and Mac rested her weary head on his shoulder. Before long his arm was wrapped around her and she felt herself drifting off. Quickly, she shook her head.  
"What's up?" he asked, caressing her face.  
"I don't want to fall asleep," she said, trying to sit up straighter.  
"Why not?" he questioned, his finger slowly tracing her jaw line.  
"Because you came over to help me make a decision," she said and Harm's brow furrowed. "Did you forget?" she asked and as her eyes fluttered between his eyes and lips everything crystallised.  
"Oh, yeah," he said with a grin.

Slowly, he lowered his head and soon his lips brushed over hers, soft, gentle and tender. Mac snaked an arm up and around his neck, ensuring that he wouldn't move too far away. Lips met lips and soon Harm's tongue had invaded her mouth, tasting, teasing, tempting. With his hands caressing her body and his mouth caressing hers, Mac began to lose herself.

As the kiss came to a natural end, Mac grinned, her smile matching the goofy expression on Harm's face. "Good unexpected," she finally said. "But I have to ask, what brought about this welcome home technique?"  
"I just realised it was time to get my head out of my six and let you know just how much I care about you," he said, raking his fingers through her hair. "And I wanted to ask you if you would consider dating me?"  
"Wow!" she muttered. "I definitely didn't expect this coming home."  
"I know," he said, his fingers stilling. "But it's been a long time coming."  
"Yeah, it has been," she said with a nod.  
"So..." he prompted when Mac had still not answered his question.  
"I would like to see you ... date you..." she said, a little butterfly of nervousness fluttering about her stomach. This was all very new; she certainly wasn't used to getting what she wanted.  
"Are you sure?" he asked. "You look a little scared."  
"I guess I am...a little," she admitted. "I've wanted this for a long time and, well..."  
"You're a scared about what it will mean for us? What the future will be?" he questioned and Mac nodded. "I'll let you in on a secret," he said, leaning in and whispering into her ear. "I'm a little scared too."

Mac smiled in relief, they were on the same page – the same line – finally.  
"So, we're officially dating," she said, not able to hide her smile.  
"We are," he said, holding her a little closer as she yawned wearily.  
"Good," she replied, trying to stifle another yawn.

Before he could suggest she head to bed, Mac resettled herself with her head on a cushion in his lap before reaching towards the back of the sofa. Thinking she was trying to get the throw rug, Harm pulled it down and carefully spread it over her; making sure she was fully covered and feeling warm enough.  
"I am," she replied. "But it wasn't quite what I had in mind."  
"What was that?" he asked her pulling the blanket down a little as she freed one arm.

Mac snaked the arm around his neck and pulled him closer.  
"I think I'm going to be very happy dating you," she said softly as their noses brushed.  
"Me too," he said, his eyes gazing into hers.  
Mac sighed as she felt his warm breath tickle her cheek.  
"Me too," she echoed, and then she kissed him.


End file.
